How many use more than one lathe??

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Bree

Bree

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I was thinking about getting another lathe. I could use the second as a Beall buffer or just line two of them up and get a little production line going to get my pens done more efficiently. I was wondering how many use multiple lathes in your shops and exactly how do you use them??

Thx in advance for your comments!
:question::question::question:
 
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How could one survive well with only one -- think of all the differences in sizes and uses, let along the adaptations.

Meeting opens --

Hi I'm Ken and I'm a lathe accumulator.......


Generally there is different stuff chucked in a couple of lathes and there is only one big one, the rest are micro/mini lathes. Buffing stuff seems to occupy one of the little ones most of the time.
 
I have three lathes in my shop plus a 6X12 inch buffer----If I could find the space there would be a forth-----tool junkie---:eek::biggrin:.
Oh---one for pens---one for small stuff --and of course "Monster Mustard"
 
I have a couple (3, but 1 isnt set up at the moment, no space). I use my shopfox mini mainly for finishes (since it's vs), but am more comfortable turning on the rikon. Plus my turning time is limited due to a bad back, so I can do one coat of finish, let that sit and go turn a pen on the other lathe, and so on.....
 
Two(2) and both are minis: 1014 Jet and Steel City. The Jet will always be the "keeper" and the Steel City sees a lot of action since it is VS.
 
I started with a hf full size 14x38 vs that I got cheap to see if we were really interested in turning. We got quickly hooked on turning and the lathe had mechanical problems so we upgraded to a 1642 jet. Fixed the hf and it now gets used for buffing, small chuck work and a backup lathe when my kids want to work at the same time I do.

Don't ask who gets the nice jet.
 
2 wood lathes a 7x12 metal and a big metal lathe. Loml made me sell the another wood lathe because she could no longer get in the garage. When your addicted you just can't stop. Can I spell intervention?
 
Started on a second hand HF, (cheap one). Then became addicted. Started pens on my small SF. Acquired a old Craftsman tube and will buy another, probably Jet in a couple months. This is all within 11 months. I can only imagine what will happen in 5 years.

I guess to answer the question, 3 presently.
 
Everyone should have more than one lathe

I'm down to two lathes. I have a Jet 1442 I use for bowls, drilling pen blanks and other odd jobs that come up and a Jet 1014 I use for pens. The 1014 is the one I also take "on the road" for demos and teaching my grand daughters how to turn with when we go up north.
It's nice having two lathes in the shop for when my "in town" grand daughters want to turn. No more sharing and taking turns.
Some day I'd like to get a metal lathe but for now I have one I can use when ever I need.
I'd be lost with only one lathe.
Dave
 
2 in my shed, an MC900 wood lathe and a 9x20 metal lathe.

Use the metal lathe more than the wood one at the moment, making lots of bullet pens.

When I finally make a tool rest for the metal lathe, it will be used even more.
 
Not me. Just one over worked little Jet lathe. If I do anything different it will be to make journals to compliment a pen set.
 
I need to join Lathes Anonymous. I have eight lathes in my shop. I did give one away last week so I do not still have nine anymore. Of the eight, two of them are metal lathes so they should not count against my lathe count . And two are not plugged in so they should not count either. One lathe is setup for buffing and polishing so that one does not count either. One is set up for large bowls that I just never seem to turn anymore so it should only count as half a lathe. So by my count I have just one lathe that I use almost daily. I might need another lathe. See how I got nine in the first place.

Worse by far is the number of pen blanks in my shop. The local Rockler and Woodcrafters combined have fewer pen blanks than I have. My wife guessed that I had over a thousand blanks. Lucky she did not look closer. If I had to guess I put the number at three or four thousand. People give me wood because they think that I can use it and might need more. If I see wood I like, I buy it for later, whenever that will be. Remember that person with the most wood wins as long as he has the most fun while he has it.
 
I have 2 in use. Jet mini 1014VS for pens and other small things. I also have a Grizzly 16x43 for bowls and anything I don't want to put on the mini. I have a third lathe but it's an antique, at least 25 years old. I did use it for roughing bowls until I got the Grizzly. Now it just sits outside the shop in the basement.
 
jfoh said:
I need to join Lathes Anonymous. I have eight lathes in my shop. I did give one away last week so I do not still have nine anymore. Of the eight, two of them are metal lathes so they should not count against my lathe count . And two are not plugged in so they should not count either. One lathe is setup for buffing and polishing so that one does not count either. One is set up for large bowls that I just never seem to turn anymore so it should only count as half a lathe. So by my count I have just one lathe that I use almost daily. I might need another lathe. See how I got nine in the first place.

Worse by far is the number of pen blanks in my shop. The local Rockler and Woodcrafters combined have fewer pen blanks than I have. My wife guessed that I had over a thousand blanks. Lucky she did not look closer. If I had to guess I put the number at three or four thousand. People give me wood because they think that I can use it and might need more. If I see wood I like, I buy it for later, whenever that will be. Remember that person with the most wood wins as long as he has the most fun while he has it.
Click to expand...
Eight !?!?!?
"give one away"?!?!?

Are you an octopus or something.
 
Dayum... after reading these responses I have got to get me another lathe. Having just one is becoming almost unbearable!
:eek::eek::eek:
 
I just got back from spending this rainy day traveling to the southern part of the state to pick up what will be my Winter lathe, a Jet 1014. Light enough to carry down into my basement. My other lathe is an old Rockwell Delta 46-525 and it's not light.
 
I have one Rikon mini and the tiny Taig on which I started making pens. I don't use the Taig anymore as I don't have room for even that in my little shop. I would like to use if for doing a second pen when a finish is setting on the Rikon, but just don't have the room.

That said, I am planning on two more when I retire, a midi (with VS) and a larger VS lathe with swivel head or outboard turning for bowls.

All of this talk about multiple lathes reminds me of talk on woodworking forums and routers. I have 5 here in Japan and 3 back in the States.
 
Two lathes, a CarbaTec mini vs and a Jet 1236. I like having the ability to have my son over and we each have a lathe. Ditto for my turning partner Howard. It also comes in handy when you wish to put finish on two pens at the same time. Would I add a third? Yep, just need more room!
 
I have a jet1014 that has an OOR issue so I picked up an excelsiorVS on sale fore under 200. I know why it was only 200 now. I would like pick up a mini metal, a large wood and possible a mid size metal if I find a good deal so 4 or 5 sounds good to me.
 
I have two. A new Jet 1220VS and a 1220 non VS which is for sale. If it doesn't sell I will keep it as a buffing station.
 
I have a set of them that are "collection" lathes- things that have been given to me by people who "wont ever use these". I have 3 of those.

I have a carbatec for pen turning (or my wife is currently turning pens on this one), a Delta full sized lathe for turning medium projects on, and access to a PM 3520 and a PM 4224 at a friends house when I need some MUSTARD POWER. He has 10 lathes......so.......I dont feel that bad....
 
3 here...the little Grizzly I started on that's now just decoration...2 delta midis...one I use with a PSI VS motor conversion for my pens, the other I originally bought for my wife when she started turning, but now it's used as a dedicated 3 wheel beall buffer. Lemme tell you, a dedicated buffer is REAL nice, but it doesn't take a $300 lathe to do it. Find some junky midi lathe on CL and it'll beall buff just fine!
 
I just sold one so I'm down to 4 at this point. I really only use one for turning, one as a dedicated buffer, a metal lathe and a spare. I think that is the perfect number for lathes, although I am considering another metal lathe. You c an never have too many, but it sucks to be one short.
Oops, forgot, I have 2 more in storage for when I open a bigger shop and have room for them to be setup and used.
 
I'm up to four running. 1 HF mini 1 HF midi 1 oldie I'm rebuilding and a Delta 46-700 I just bought today.
I put a down payment on a used Southbend metal lathe with a roll around full of tooling today also.
Mark
 
I have 3 now,did have 4 but sold an old Craftsman. I may sell my old Walker-Turner but will not part with my Rikon mini or my Nova 3000. If I run across a bargain on a Powermatic 3520 my collection just may have to grow a little larger.
 
I have 3 lathes, a Nova DVRxp that is my main penturning lathe, a manual Jet 1014 that is set up as a 3 wheel buffer (but my 12 year old daughter uses it sometimes) and an Axminster small metal lathe.
 
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